Product Description

▼▲

School boards are under fire and overworked, but they are here to stay. Here is a practical guide to improving their operation. Filled with real-life examples of sound board action, Effective School Boards presents a useful model for boards who want to make a difference in improving education and leading wisely. In this book, Eugene Smoley analyzes information received from extensive interviews with school board members about the key elements of highly functional boards and offers advice and insights to help boards make better decisions, act collaboratively, relate to their communities, and plan strategically. He outlines three stages of board improvement--self-assessment, monitoring, and development--highighting how boards can partner with district superintendents to lead change. Practical tools for improvement include a self-evaluation questionnaire, a sample format for retreats and conferences, and concrete suggestions to assist school board members, superintendents, concerned citizens, business leaders, foundations, and anyone who cares about howtoday's schools are governed.

Product Information

▼▲

Format: PaperbackNumber of Pages: 176Vendor: Wiley

Publication Date: 1999ISBN: 0787946923ISBN-13: 9780787946920

Publisher's Description

▼▲

"An empathetic but hard-hitting book about effective school boardleadership. It should be required reading for superintendents,school board members, and all elected leaders."--Anne L. Bryant, executive director, National School BoardsAssociation"The chances for providing an even better education for studentsincreases geometrically when school boards and superintendents worktogether in common purpose. This book can help build the capacityof boards to support district-level improvement with wisegovernance and leadership."--Paul Houston, executive director, American Association of SchoolAdministratorsSchool boards are under fire and overworked, but they are here tostay. Here is a practical guide to improving their operation.Filled with real-life examples of sound board action, EffectiveSchool Boards presents a useful model for boards who want to make adifference in improving education and leading wisely. In this book,Eugene Smoley analyzes information received from extensiveinterviews with school board members about the key elements ofhighly functional boards and offers advice and insights to helpboards make better decisions, act collaboratively, relate to theircommunities, and plan strategically. He outlines three stages ofboard improvement--self-assessment, monitoring, anddevelopment--highlighting how boards can partner with districtsuperintendents to lead change. Practical tools for improvementinclude a self-evaluation questionnaire, a sample format forretreats and conferences, and concrete suggestions to assist schoolboard members, superintendents, concerned citizens, businessleaders, foundations, and anyone who cares about how today'sschools are governed.

Editorial Reviews

▼▲

"An empathetic but hard-hitting book about effective school boardleadership. It should be required reading for superintAndents,school board members, and all elected leaders." (Anne L. Bryant,executive director, National School Boards Association)"The chances for providing an even better education for studentsincreases geometrically when school boards and superintAndents worktogether in common purpose. This book can help build the capacityof boards to support district-level improvement with wisegovernance and leadership." (Paul Houston, executive director,American Association of School Administrators)"The age-old mystery of how to improve the performance of schoolboards has finally been solved. Just follow the sound advice inthis book." (Richard P. Chait, professor, Harvard Graduate Schoolof Education)"In this valuable book, Smoley has brought wisdom and clarity toone of the most perplexing issues facing education reform: How dowe get school boards to work effectively? This is a guidebook thatserious school board officials should read cover to cover."(Christopher T. Cross, president, Council for BasicEducation)"In an era where quality superintAndents and harmoniousrelationships between them and their boards of education are oftenhard to find and even harder to maintain, Effective School Boardsis a pungent and pithy must-read." (Kenneth S. Burnley,superintAndent of schools, Colorado Springs School District,Colorado)